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PM May 'Will Find A Way' to Pass Brexit Draft Plan Through Parliament – UK FM

Mrs. May delayed a much-anticipated vote on her Brexit plan in December due to fears it would be voted down by MPs. The Prime Minister has sought reassurance from EU ministers as Westminster readies to vote later in January.
Sputnik

UK prime minister Theresa May "will find a way" to push her embattled Brexit draft plan through Parliament, UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Wednesday during a Q&A session in Singapore.

"When Theresa May comes back with those reassurances that she has been seeking from the EU that the deal that is on the table is not going to lead to us being permanently trapped in the customs union… she will find a way to get this deal through parliament," Hunt said.

Hunt added that a second referendum would leave "devastating" social consequences and would be damaging to democracy.

READ MORE: ‘We Have Chaos’: May’s Cancelled Brexit Vote Produces ‘Vacuum of Authority’

British MPs slammed Mrs. May's handling of the ‘meaningful' vote, with Labour leader Jeremy Corby calling her Brexit plan "a bad deal for Britain". Northern Irish DUP party chair Arlene Foster, whose party shares a fragile coalition with the Tories, called May's EU agreement "fundamentally flawed" and said the delay "sums up the chaotic nature of the government's approach to these negotiations".

UK PM May Gives Speech on Brexit in House of Commons in London (VIDEO)
Several MPs resigned on 15 November, following Mrs. May's release of the Brexit draft plan, including Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, UK minister for North Ireland Shailesh Vara, Work and Pensions secretary Esther McVey and Brexit minister Suella Braverman. The resignations prompted a hasty cabinet shuffle, with former banker Stephen Barclay MP stepping in as Brexit secretary and Amber Rudd MP taking over Ms. McVey's position.

Commons planned to vote on Mrs. May's Brexit deal on 11 December, which would determine if Parliament would accept or reject the terms proposed in the draft agreement with the EU. The UK Prime Minister is under intense pressure from EU leaders after ministers vowed they will not renegotiate the deal, according to a spokesperson for European Commission president Jean-Claude Junker.

MPs from both sides of the political spectrum also condemned the plan, with Jacob Rees-Mogg issuing a tense but unsuccessful 200-117 party vote of no confidence against the PM and Mr. Corbyn threatening another leadership challenge.

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